Bing Crosby called Perry Como the “man who invented casual”. 131 hits in the billboard pop charts from 1943 to 1974 made the crooner one of the most successful American superstars. His name was soon mentioned in the same breath as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin – and deservedly so. Born in 1912 as Pierino Como in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, he initially worked as a hairdresser and even ran his own salon. His musical career began in the early 1930s as a vocalist for the bands of Freddy Carlone and Ted Weems. From the mid-1940s on he also starred in several films. In 1942 Weems dissolved his orchestra and just when Como was about to give up his career as a singer, two TV producers hired him as the presenter of the program “Chesterfield Supper Club. which led to successful appearances in theaters and nightclubs. In 1945 he had his first hit as a singer with the pop ballad “Till the End of Time”. Perry Como was the first singer ever to sell more than a million copies each of ten of his albums. Perry Como died on May 12, 2001 at his home in Jupiter, Florida, just six days before his 89th birthday.
DISC 1
MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY (1962) CAL-694& MITCHELL AYRES & HIS ORCHESTRA& THE RAY CHARLES SINGERS
1. Make Someone Happy
2. I Concentrate On You
3. KoKoMo (I Love You So)
4. Gone Is My Love
5. You Are in Love
6. Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba(My Bambino Go to Sleep)
7. Easter Parade
8. Kentucky Babe
9. I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now
10. I Love You Truly
BY REQUEST (1962)LPM-2567& MITCHELL AYRES & HIS ORCHESTRA& THE RAY CHARLES SINGERS]11. Maria
12. Lollipops and Roses
13. The Sweetest Sounds
14. More Than Likely
15. “Moonglow” and the Theme from “Picnic”
16. My Favourite Things
17. Once Upon a Time
18. Can’t Help Falling in Love
19. What’s New
20. Somebody Cares
21. I’ll Remember April
22. Moon River
DISC 2
SING TO ME MISTER C. (1961) LPM-2390& MITCHELL AYRES & HIS ORCHESTRA]1. THEME: Sing to Me Mr. C.
2. MEDLEY: All by Myself/ I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face/ So in Love
3. MEDLEY: Say It Isn’t So/ Blue Skies/ Here’s ThatRainy Day
4. MEDLEY: All I Do Is Dream of You / Gigi/ The Way You Look Tonight
5. THEME: Sing to Me Mr. C.
6. MEDLEY: Thank Heaven for Little Girls / You Were Ment for Me / A Fellow Needs a Girl
7. MEDLEY: You Alone (Solo Tu) / I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter /Portrait of My Love
8. MEDLEY: Smile / How Deep Is the Ocean / This Nearly Was Mine
9. You Are Never Far Away from Me
FOR THE YOUNG AT HEART (1961)LPM-2343& MITCHELL AYRES & HIS ORCHESTRA]10. When You and I Were Young Maggie
11. Young at Heart
12. I Was Young and Foolish
13. Too Young
14. You Make Me Feel so Young
15. Like Young
16. Hello Young Lovers
17. Especially for the Young
18. Too Young to Go Steady
19. While We’re Young
20. Young Love
21. When Hearts Are Young
DISC 3
DREAMER’S HOLIDAY (1960)CAL-582]1. My Love and Devotion
2. To Know You
3. The Rose Tatoo
4. Kewpie Doll
5. The Things I Didn’t Do
6. Tumbling Tumbleweeds
7. Just Born (To Be Your Baby)
8. Ivy Rose
9. Watchin’ the Trains Go By
10. Rollin’ Stone
SEASON’S GREETINGS FROM PERRY COMO (1959)LPM-2066]11. Home for the Holidays
12. Winter Wonderland
13. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
14. The Christmas Song
15. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
16. White Christmas
17. Here We Come A-Caroling / We wish you a Merry Christmas
18. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
19. O Holy Night
20. MEDLEY: The Story of the First Christmas O Little Town of Bethlehem / Come, Come, Come to the Manger / The First Noel Oh Come, All Ye Faithful / We Three Kings of Orient Are / Silent Night
DISC 4
PERRY COMO’S WEDNESDAY NIGHT MUSIC HALL (1959)CAL-511]1. Door of Dreams
2. Love of My Life
3. Roses of Picardy
4. Keep It Gay
5. All Through the Day
6. Why Did You Leave Me
7. Dreamer’s Holiday
8. So Far
9. A Fellow Needs a Girl
10. I Wanna Go Home (with You)
11. When You’re Smiling
12. If Wishes Were Kisses
COMO SWINGS (1959)LPM-2010]13. St. Louis Blues (Handy)
14. I’ve Got You under My Skin
15. Route 66
16. Dear Hearts and Gentle People
17. Mood Indigo
18. Donkey Serenade
19. To Know You Is to Love You
20. You Came a Long Way from St. Louis
21. Honey Honey
22. Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella
23. Linda
24. Begin the Beguine
DISC 5
SATURDAY NIGHT WITH MISTER C.(1958) CAL-511]1. Accentuate the Positive
2. It Could Happen to You
3. Love Letters
4. MEDLEY: Almost Like Being in Love / Little Man You’ve Had a Busy Day Gypsy in My Soul / Whiffenpoof Song
5. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
6. Red Sails in the Sunset
7. Birth of the Blues
8. When I Fall in Love
9. Come Rain or Come Shine
10. MEDLEY: You Made Me Love You / I May Be Wrong / Like Someone in Love / Vaya Con Dios
11. It Had to Be You
12. Twilight on the Trail
14. Whither Thou Goest
15. No Well on Earth
16. Only One
17. Scarlet Ribbons
18. I May Never Pass This Way Again
19. A Still Small Voice
20. In the Garden
21. May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You
22. Prayer for Peace
23. All Through the Night
24. When You Come to the End of the Day
DISC 6
COMO’S GOLDEN RECORDS (1958)LPM-1981]1. Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes #1 / 1952
2. Moon Talk #28 / 1958
3. Love Makes the World Go Round #33 / 1958
4. Catch a Falling Star #1 / 1958
5. Dig You Later (A Hubba-Hubba-Hubba) #3 / 1945
6. Juke Box Baby #10 / 1956
7. Papa Loves Mambo #4 / 1954
8. Tina Marie #5 / 1955
9. Round and Round #1 / 1957
10. Because #4 / 1948
11. Mi Casa, Su Casa #50 / 1957
12. Mandolins in the Moonlight #47 / 1958
13. Magic Moments #4 / 1958
14. Hot Diggity #1 / 1956
16. Let’s Take an Old-Fashioned Walk
17. I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You)
18. Forever and Ever
19. You Won’t Be Satisfied (Until You Brake My Heart)
20. Long Ago (And Far Away)
21. It’s Only a Paper Moon
22. There Never Was a Night so Beautiful
23. You Alone (Solo Tu)
24. My One and Only Heart
25. Macheta
26. I Love You
DISC 7[WE GET LETTERS (1957)LPM-1463]1. Swinging Down the Lane
2. It’s Easy to Remember
3. South of the Border
4. That’s What I like
5. Honey, Honey (Bless Your Heart)
6. Angry
7. They Can’t Take That Away from Me
8. S’posin
9. I Had the Craziest Dream
10. ‘Deed I Do
11. Somebody Loves Me
12. Sleepy Time Gal
14. Without a Song
15. More Than You Know
16. Blue Skies
17. My Melancholy Baby
18. Girl of My Dreams
19. Chincherinchee
20. If I Loved You
21. They Say It’s Wonderful
22. I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling
23. Oh, How I Miss You Tonight
24. Dream Along with Me(I’m on My Way to a Star)
DISC 8[I BELIEVE (1956)LPM-1172]1. I Believe
2. Onward, Christian Soldiers
3. Goodnight, Sweet Jesus
4. Act of Contrition
5. Ave Maria
6. The Rosary
7. Eli, Eli
8. Kol Nidrei
9. Nearer, My God to Thee
10. Abide with Me
11. The Lord’s Prayer
12. Bless This House
14. You’re Just in Love (I Wonder Why)
15. Marrying for Love
16. It’s a Lovely Day Today
17. Summertime
18. You’ll Never Walk Alone
19. Some Enchanted Evening
20. Bali Ha’I
21. Hello Young Lovers
22. We Kiss in a Shadow
23. My Heart Stood Still
24. All at Once You Love Her
DISC 9[A SENTIMENTAL DATE WITH PERRY COMO (1956)LPM-1177]1. When Day Is Done
2. Carolina Moon
3. What’ll I Do
4. If We Can’t Be the Same Old Sweethearts,We’ll Just Be the Same Old Friends
5. Blue Room
6. With a Song in My Heart
7. I’m Always Chasing Rainbows
8. Love Me or Leave Me
9. Body and Soul
10. When Your Hair Has Turned to Silver(I Will Love You Just the Same)
11. Lies
12. No Other Love
14. Because
15. When You Were Sweet Sixteen
16. Far Away Places
17. Black Moonlight
18. While We’re Young
19. Song of Songs
20. Till the End of Time
21. Temptation
22. If
23. If There Is Someone Lovelier Than You
24. Over the Rainbow
DISC 10[SO SMOOTH (1955)LPM-1085]1. It’s a Good Day
2. As Time Goes By
3. I’ve Got the World on a String
4. My Funny Valentine
5. For Me and My Gal
6. I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues
7. Breezin’ Along with the Breeze
8. It’s the Talk of the Town
9. You Do Something to Me
10. It Happened in Monterey
11. One for My Baby
12. In the Still of the Night
14. Holy God We Praise Thy Name
15. Prayer of Thanksgiving
16. Rock of Ages